Panasonic PV-GS250 Camcorder Review by Matt Culler Published on Mar 15, 2005 12:00 PM
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Picture & Manual Control
Automatic Control (5.0)
The Automatic controls on the PV-GS250 (Review, Specs, $1299.99) are similar to those found on the PV-GS65 (Review, Specs, $899) and PV-GS150 (Specs, $449.95); automatic control over exposure, gain, focus, and white balance are all available. While the PV-GS250 lacks a dedicated Easy mode, which is usually seen on most Sony camcorders, it does have an automatic mode that places automatic locks on white balance, aperture, shutter, and focus. This mode basically removes the third menu option when using the new joystick to navigate the camcorder's manual control menu.

Auto exposure presets are available in order to set particular windows of performance on exposure. They include Sports, Portrait, Low light, Spotlight, and Surf & Snow modes, and are accessed within the menu system. However, these features are only available in manual mode, not auto. Automatic adjustments to exposure and focus are not the best, but are certainly not bad. They are smooth and only run into problems when greatly shifting focal length or light levels. Automatic adjustment to white balance was too slow for me, though I could just be used to Sony’s great auto white balance.

Overall Manual Control (7.5)
Like all Panasonics, the PV-GS250 offers more manual control options than pretty much any other camcorders for this price. It includes independent manual control over shutter speed, aperture readings, focus, zoom, and white balance. The only thing it’s lacking is manual control of the audio levels, which is available on some Canon camcorders.

In earlier years, there have been complaints about the discrepancy between the amount of control Panasonic offers and the amount of effort it takes to access these features, and this year Panasonic has really worked to remedy this. The newly designed navigational system not only allows the user easy one-handed access, but also does not require the LCD screen to be open. When the user presses down on the joystick, the manual control menu is engaged and a digital compass button appears on the LCD screen. Pressing down on the joystick again brings up a second compass button with different options. Depending on whether or not the user is in manual or auto mode, there can be up to three compass button fields to cycle through. Panasonic has really gotten down manual control on this year's set of camcorders.

Manual Control Menu with Superimposed Compass Button

Last year this compass button was located under the LCD screen and required the user to not only look at the LCD screen each time he or she wanted to look at the options, but also to open the LCD screen to access them. This year’s system is a little better.

The only problem with the manual control here is that it can be kind of cumbersome to adjust. While the new joystick control makes these adjustments more convenient and (literally) more at-your-fingertips than last year’s models, the user must scroll through all the manual controls to access each one. All in all though there are some good manual controls here. I would have liked to see some slower shutter speed options for video though.

Spiffy New Menu Design!!

Zoom Control (7.0)
One downside of the manual control on the PV-GS250, and maybe the only downside, is its zoom toggle. Every manufacturer this year beats Panasonic in the design of their respective zoom toggles. Canon and Sony, especially, have very easy-to-use, good toggles; JVC is up there too. Panasonic’s toggle is nearly the same from the PV-GS19 (Review, Specs, $244.74) to the PV-GS250; it isn’t elevated enough from the camcorder body and doesn’t feature enough grip to provide easy fluid zooms. If you can start a zoom going in and then transfer to a zoom out without going all the way in and without making a jerky zoom, you are definitely more skilled than most of us (and that's saying something). Also, the zoom toggle is positioned so as to be directly above, and operated by, the user’s middle finger. Personally, I’d rather use my index finger for such important and delicate adjustments; it makes the ultimate difference between utterly crappy and subtle and nice.

Zoom Power/Ratio (10.0)
The PV-GS250 has a disappointing 10x optical zoom, with options for 25x and 700x digitally, but digital zoom is useless and means nothing.

Focus (7.0)
Focus on the PV-GS250 is pretty simple, much simpler than the manual focus found on other consumer Panasonic camcorders. While the auto/manual/focus switch is still used to place the camcorder in manual focus mode, one no longer has to use the joystick controller to move through the focal length. Instead, the PV-GS250 features the always-nice focus ring, which wraps around the front of the lens barrel. From auto mode to manual focus mode, the user will open the LCD screen, move the auto/manual/focus switch down from auto mode, through the manual mode option, all the way down to Focus. This will place the camcorder in manual mode and also active the manual focus ring. When released, the spring-loaded switch will return to manual mode (the middle option) and provide the user with access to all of the other manual controls on the camcorder, including focus, as indicated by an MF icon on the upper right of the LCD screen. If the slider is moved down again, the icon will disappear and the focus will become automatic, though the camcorder will still remain in manual mode.

The focus ring itself is nice and smooth. Though I wish it had more grip on it, it is nice to have a focus ring at all on such camcorders. The PV-GS150 does not have a focus ring, though its built-in lens cover looks a lot like one.

Exposure (Aperture) (6.0)
Manual Exposure can be accessed by first switching into manual mode. Once selected, this mode takes the user to the third electronic compass button on the LCD, which is the manual control menu. Using the joystick to scroll through the manual controls within this menu, the user can toggle through the exposure adjustments which include: Open f/2.0, f/2.4, f/2.8, f/3.4, f/4.0, f/4.8, f/5.6, f/6.8, f/8.0, f/9.6, f/11, f/14, and f/16. There are smaller increments in between each F-stop that lack numerical delineation. While a dial of some sort would provide an easier way to scroll through these options, I do think that it would make one-handed use of the PV-GS250 difficult. Similar options are available in still photo mode.

Shutter Speed (7.0)
Shutter speed adjustments are available within the same manual control system as exposure and focus. Using the joystick control, the user can toggle between options of 1/60, 1/100, 1/120, 1/180, 1/250, 1/350, 1/500, 1/750, 1/1000, 1/1500, 1/1/2000, 1/3000, 1/4000, and 1/8000. In still camera mode, options from 1/30, 1/60, 1/100, 1/120, 1/180, 1/250, 1/350, and 1/500 exist. Having independent shutter control is pretty sweet, and though I’d like to control these with a dial, its presence might also make one-handed usage more difficult.

White Balance (7.0)
Accessing white balance options is similar to accessing both shutter speed and exposure. Standard options exist and include presets for indoor (light bulb icon) and outdoor (sun icon); there are also Auto (AWB icon) and Manual (weird-looking square with two triangles icon) options. Manual white balance, necessary in unusual environments like stage sets or sunsets, is pretty easy to use. It is accessed by first selecting it from the white balance options, using the left and right joystick directions, and then by pressing up on the joystick to set the balance. The screen will go black, and then the image will return, adjustments made.

Gain (7.0)
It’s pretty cool to have manual gain options on any consumer camcorder, and like almost every other Panasonic camcorder, the PV-GS250 has them. Be warned however: too much gain equals too much noise. Nevertheless, manual gain options are available once the joystick is used to get to the camcorder’s manual control menu. Manual gain options are only available once the aperture is set to Open. Once the aperture is set, manual gain options include: 0dB, 3dB, 6dB, 9dB, 12dB, 15dB, and 18dB with smaller increments in between each setting, which each lack numerical delineation.

Other Manual Control (0.0)
There are no other manual controls available on the PV-GS250.